New packaging requirement to reduce fruit & veg waste in Turkey

According to a new regulation that determines the standards to be observed in the wholesale and retail trade of fruits and vegetables in Turkey, all fruits and vegetables will be required to be transported with packaging as of 2018.

"This development will have a positive effect on the reduction of waste and make a great contribution to the economy," the General Secretary of the Association of Packaging Industrialists (ASD) said.

According to the new rules, fruits and vegetables will be transported in disposable or reusable packaging and all foreign substances will be purified and protected and transported in appropriate conditions.

It was explained that about 15-20 billion pounds of food was lost last year, before reaching the consumer, because it was not packaged by the fruit and vegetable industry.